Breaking My Shell
by IgneousNight
Summary: Claire is finally able to break out of her shy funk with a little help from a special someone. Because of this person, she is the woman she is today.


*All Characters except Claire Keysh and Nick Keysh belong to DC COMICS. NO TOUCHY MY CLAIREY*

I'm just a girl. Just an ordinary girl.

Okay I'm lying through my teeth. I am far from ordinary. Ordinary girls don't speak fluent Greek, see gods, or shoot fire from their hands. I feel like if I just keep telling myself that I'm ordinary, I will believe it.

Staring at myself in the mirror also doesn't help much. People don't usually have deep red hair and crazy green eyes. I'm not a ginger. Don't call me a ginger. I'm just a redheaded pyromaniac.

"Claire! Hurry up! I gotta get to work." My blonde brother poked his head into my room, flashing his green eyes.

"I'm ready now…" I slide my backpack on and slip on my shoes. The Gotham Academy crest beams on my chest as I run out of the house. I hop into my brother's blue Kia and stare quietly out the window.

"You gotta call Mom or Dad to come pick you up after school. I won't be able to today. I got some… stuff to deal with. Understood?" My brother was always coarse with me. He used to be a carefree, calm guy who would always joke around but a lot of things changed after our little sister, Alice, died two years ago.

"Claire?!" He was getting impatient with me even though it was only a few seconds of delay.

"Okay, Nick, I heard you." I snapped back, glaring at him.

"Ugh. Alright, now don't get into cars with strangers. Don't walk home either. Don't even think about going downtown."

"Nicholas, I am eighteen years old. I know how to take care of myself."

"Well I'm not ready to lose another sister!" He slams his hand down onto the wheel and water sprayed out his hands onto the dashboard. I couldn't help but laugh uncontrollably.

"Watch it, Squirt."

He flips me and flings water at me. "Shut up and grab a towel."

I grab a towel and wipe up his mess. When he does things like that, it seems to cool down our anger towards each other. Sometimes, my brother cannot control his power. Like when he gets angry, he starts drowning the potted plants with his water. It's actually a pretty sad sight.

He hates the fact that his power is water. If he uses it a lot, he gets dehydrated. It also didn't help that our little sister would taunt him. For a ten year old, she was a great manipulator. She could make a grown man cry. She would taunt Nick by saying, "What? You gunna splash me or somethin'?" She would get on his nerves just so he would spray water and then she would jump on him like a little imp and shock him with her electricity. Ah, sibling bonding at its greatest.

My brother pulled up in front of the academy. We said our goodbyes and I slid out, slamming the door behind me. When I faced the academy, a metaphorical cloud of despair hung over me.

This place was Hell on Earth. You would think that a fancy academy like this would be great but it's not. It's just like a regular high school. There are the Preps, the Normal Kids, The Losers, and then there's me.

I never had many friends. Those that did talk to me, only wanted to copy my homework. I'm also a very quiet girl. I don't converse with people much and when I do, I guess I give off a "rude vibe." I never mean to, I'm only a little taken back when they do talk to me.

Then there are people who refuse to stop talking. A great example was my chemistry partner, Barbara Gordon. She reminded me of a Chihuahua, always yapping. She is also uncomfortably friendly too. Like in the beginning of the year, when we were assigned our lab partners, she tackled me into a hug when she found out I was her partner. She's always so… touchy… and she says things like "Us Red's gotta stick together!" I didn't know that we were a clan…

But today… she wasn't here (THANK THE GODS). So I got paired up Richard Grayson, who is possibly the most popular piece of man meat on the entire campus. Granted, he did date Barbara… so I see where they have the things in common.

By Zeus this guy could talk! And it wasn't about sports or any of that crap! It was about science. Every damn chemical I picked up, he told me it's whole biography.

"Ah, Sodium Chloride… also known as salt. Did you know in solid sodium chloride, each ion is surrounded by six ions of the opposite charge as expected on electrostatic grounds. The surrounding ions are located at the vertices of a regular octahedron. Cool right?" A big grin would be plastered across his face.

I would silently nod then go back to work. He continued to jabber on and on about chemicals and science stuff. When the bell did ring, I quickly grabbed my things and rushed off to English. Sadly, I had English with him too and he sat right in front of me.

I sat in my seat, and then realized I had left my English book in my chemistry class. I have never left something in a different class before. I felt like my whole life was going to crumble.

Until by my outstanding luck on this day, Richard came trotting in, holding two English books in his hands. "You forgot your book Claire, but no worries, I got it for you." It seemed like the grin grew bigger and bigger.

"Th-thank you." I quietly said and took the book from him.

I could feel eyes on me. Little, devilish, cat eyes glaring at me. I dared not to turn my head because I knew who was digging her claws into my back. Kitten Walker stood across the room from me, fuming with rage. The thing is, everyone knew that Kitten wanted Richard, but Richard had made it apparent that he did not want her. She wanted everyone to give her undivided attention. In reality, she was just the spoiled brat of a crime boss. She wasn't anything special.

I hid my face with my arms as Richard returned to his seat. The bell rang and the teacher raced in, sliding across the floor. Nobody seemed to notice or react to it. It was normal for us. Teachers get in trouble if they aren't in class by the late bell as well.

"Alright everyone," Mr. Biel dusts off himself and leans against his desk. "Take out your short stories. They are due today after all." He slams his finger down onto the pad and smiles. "Miss Keysh, you are first to share with us your story."

I sigh and go up to the front of the class. I lean against the podium and began reading. "Long ago, in the birth place of democracy, there were three powerful gods. They were all brothers, celebrating their victory over the oppressive Titans. Zeus, the eldest, claimed power over the sky. Poseidon, the middle brother, claimed power over the ocean an land. Hades, the mischievous yet intelligent youngest brother, was given the land of the dead to rule. After quite some time, the gods noticed that chaos was still rampant on Earth. Something needed to be done so they granted powers to the most devoted family."

"Yawn, boring! Boo! Get off the stage." Kitten threw a paper wad towards me but missed by several feet.

"Miss Walker, go outside right now! There is no need for your disrespect. Please continue Claire."

"Uhm… right… Children blessed by the gods, received their respected-Hey!" Kitten walks by me and pushes my paper off the podium.

"Ooops."

I glare at her and hold the paper tightly in my hand. "Children blessed by the gods, received their respected powers. Zeus blessed children with the gift of lightning, Poseidon generously blessed them with water, earth, and ice, and Hades granted them the ability to control and produce fire. The family was then considered to be warriors of the gods. They prevented world chaos in the name of the Olympians and took down those who threatened the balance of life. The End."

Richard stood up abruptly and clapped enthusiastically. A rush of color filled my cheeks and I quickly went back to my seat. We seemed to sit down at the same time. He turned to me, still with the biggest smile ever.

"That was great Claire! You're so creative."

"Thank you… it was actually just a stupid, rushed, last-minute story…"

"Well it was probably better than everyone else's."

Something about his smile really brightened my outlook on life. For once in my life, I felt like I was welcomed in that place. I didn't talk to Richard that much after that day, but I did become more open. I smiled more, I laughed at people's jokes. I became less shy and more carefree. The smallest interactions like that have the biggest impact on someone like me.

And I owe it all to Richard Grayson.


End file.
